"Say So"

Opening Prayer (based on Psalm 65:1-13)

What mighty praise belongs to You, O God, for Your acts of love and faithfulness toward us!

In Your mercy You hear our prayers, You forgive our sins, You provide for our needs.

From one end of the earth to the other, You inspire worship and praise! Even nature celebrates Your goodness.

We, too, would offer our praise and thanksgiving for Your mercy and Your faithful love toward us. Receive our adoration, our confession, our thanksgiving.

Through the power of Your Holy Spirit make Your presence known among us that we may hear Your Word and know Your will.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen.

Focus Text(s): Psalm 107:1-3 (New Revised Standard Version)

(v. 1) O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. (v. 2) Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble (v. 3) and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

Introduction

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. found himself in the midst of a civil rights struggle that seemed to also have cosmic repercussions. The callous and crippling racism that has afflicted our country from its inception had almost strangled the moral voice of the religious leadership of America. As King sat in the Birmingham jail, he penned a letter that addressed the silence of black and white clergy. Their indifference and silence was bewildering.

With the backdrop of such deafening silence from religious people—those who have every reason to raise their voices for such a divine and righteous cause like justice—King makes one of the most incisive quotes in recent memory: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that really matter.” King’s words condemn those who believe they are alive while they are silent about the things that are really important.

King’s words are not only for those who are silent about the social issues of the day but they are also for Christians who are silent about what they should be vocal about—for purposes of this unit, the goodness of God. Many Christians who claim to be alive are actually on the verge of a spiritual death because they have stopped being thankful for God’s blessings, stopped being vocal about what God has done for them, and are silent about the awesome power of our living and powerful God. Our lips are our witness about our experiences and expectations. Our mouths confirm or deny that we are thankful for God’s work in our lives and our world.

Dr. King encourages us to say so! Not only to say what is right and just but to say we are thankful for what God has done! If God has been good say so! If God has made a way out of no way, we have the obligation, mandate, and just cause to say so!

Move/Point One – God’s Character (v. 1a)(v. 1) O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

a. God’s nature and actions are rooted in goodness;

b. Our thankfulness should be grounded in who God is and not what happens to us; and

c. Being thankful for God’s goodness is a command not an option.

Illustration

Thankfulness seems to be a lost art today. Warren Wiersby illustrated this problem in his commentary on Colossians. He told about a ministerial student in Evanston, Illinois, who was part of a life-saving squad. In 1860, a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, and Edward Spencer waded again and again into the frigid waters to rescue 17 passengers. In the process, his health was permanently damaged.

Some years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued ever thanked him.

No matter how extreme our calamity, God is able to break through to help us.

1. God’s Character

Move/Point Two – God’s Consistency (v. 1b)for his steadfast love endures forever.

a. God’s love will not end;

b. God’s consistency toward us is not based in our actions; and

c. God’s steadfast love (mercy) is consistent because our need for it is consistent.

He is loving and kind to those who are distressed.

1. God’s Character

2. God’s Consistency

Move/Point Three – God’s Commerce (vv. 2 and 3)

(v. 2) Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble (v. 3) and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

a. Our redemption cost God something;

b. God redeemed us from trouble; and

c. God redeemed us from alienation.

In his book Folk Psalms of Faith, Ray Stedman tells of an experience H.A. Ironside had in a crowded restaurant: Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, “Do you have a headache?” Ironside replied, “No, I don’t.” The other man asked, “Well, is there something wrong with your food?” Ironside replied, “No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat.” The man said, “Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!” Ironside said, “Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!”

What has God done for you? Is there someone you can tell?

V. Celebration

In conclusion,

1. God’s Character

2. God’s Consistency

3. God’s Commerce

A seven-year old Maya Angelou found herself in a place where she would not speak. Her mother’s boyfriend had raped her. The man was placed in jail for one day and night. The next day, she found out the man was murdered. So horrified by her fear that her voice could kill, Maya stopped talking. Although she stopped talking, she eventually fell in love with poetry. Mrs. Flowers, a woman who introduced poetry to her told her, “You won’t love it until you speak it.” Maya, thankful for the gift of poetry, secluded herself and because she was thankful for poetry began to speak again. As they saying goes, the rest is history.

Many of us have spent too much time in silence, allowing the fears and pains of life to muzzle our voice. Like Maya, when we find something we love, something we are thankful for, we should say so. I dare each one of us to think about one thing we are thankful for and SAY SO!

If God has made a way, SAY SO! If God has opened doors, SAY SO! If God has been a friend when you were friendless, SAY SO! If God has held your family together, SAY SO! If God has provided for you, SAY SO! If God has kept you sane, SAY SO! If God has blessed you in spite of you, SAY SO!